Rick, the only thing I'm wondering is, why create a separate database for each client's site data. That seems to add a layer of complication that might not be needed. Maybe I'm not quite seeing your vision clearly.
You could have a Clients table to hold that information, including their domain name or whatever...then in your actual site data table, have a foreign key for the ClientID. This would achieve the separation you're looking for, without having to worry about managing separate databases. So you'd have: Client Table ClientID (primary Key), Name, Domain, Address etc. SitePages Table ClientID (foreign Key), SitePageID (primary Key), PageContent etc. Listings Table (this is for Real Estate right?) ClientID (foreign Key), ListingID (primary Key), Address, SqFt, Price, Bedrooms etc. This would all be in a single database, and would be easier to maintain than creating separate databases for each client. -- Josh ----- Original Message ----- From: "Rick Faircloth" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "CF-Talk" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, December 01, 2006 1:51 PM Subject: Advice needed on how to proceed with app... > Ok. so for about 10 years now, I've been making a living > building websites, static and dynamic, as well as web apps. > > I've built them one at a time, always going back to the drawing > board to recreate every page, form, and query from scratch. > Mostly because I knew that once I started reusing code, it would > be easy to fall into a rut and stop writing better code. > > However, the time has come for me to leverage what I've learned > in CF (albeit CF 4.5) and develop some "reusable" applications that > I can sell to more than one customer. (Market forces at work.) > > My first "reusable app" will be dynamic websites for Real Estate agents. > > What I'm after is some advice on the approach. > > My thinking so far: > > - Build custom designed websites (my niche) on the public side, > rather than use one-size-fits-all cookie-cutter templates > > - However, instead of building the CMS end of the app from > scratch, I figured I'd build a one-size-fits-almost-all CMS > app > for the Real Estate sites > > - The CMS would differentiate clients by their login info and, > as we do with many app variables, I would tell the CMS which > database to work with based on the login info. seems like it > would > be easier to recreate databases per client rather than try > to manage > one database for all the clients' data > > - So, in summary, I create custom websites (graphically), build > one CMS app to handle adding, updating, and deleting data > for the > various sites, and use individual databases for each site > (MySQL) > > It sounds like a workable solution. Once, I started building a single web > app > that included a single front-end website, single CMS, and a single > database > that would contain all info for every site, including all graphics, text, > etc. That > turned out to be too complicated to manage. > > I think this approach would be more workable for a one-man operation. > > And I know this sounds like a "duh" moment for many of you who have been > doing this for a long time, but I've always been one who resisted reusing > graphics, code (I do copy and paste *some* ;o), etc to make sure I am > always > learning. > Coding from scratch > > and creating graphics from scratch always ensures that I'm starting with > everything I know at the time, rather than just continuously copying what > I knew 5 years ago. I'll still update the app to deploy knew things I > learn, > but this sounds like a reasonable compromise between custom work and > reuse. > > I'll cut my teeth on this approach with CF 4.5, then move on to CF 8 when > it comes out. > > Thoughts anyone? > > Thanks, > > Rick > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Introducing the Fusion Authority Quarterly Update. 80 pages of hard-hitting, up-to-date ColdFusion information by your peers, delivered to your door four times a year. http://www.fusionauthority.com/quarterly Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Talk/message.cfm/messageid:262536 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Talk/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.4
